Camaraderie draws women to rugby

Evelyn Ashenbrucker of the San Diego Surfers attempts to break free from being tackled by the Emerald City Mudhens from Washington state. The teams were taking part in the Champagne Classic Women's Rugby Tournament being played in Ocean Beach.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda

Evelyn Ashenbrucker of the San Diego Surfers attempts to break free from being tackled by the Emerald City Mudhens from Washington state. The teams were taking part in the Champagne Classic Women's Rugby Tournament being played in Ocean Beach.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda

OCEAN BEACH  These women could have spent their Saturday morning getting a pedicure, shaking it up in a Zumba class or lingering lazily over a cup of coffee. Instead, they’re running, tackling and hitting each other hard — and loving every minute of it, despite the bruises that covered their legs and arms.

They’re rugby players and engaging in their favorite rough and tumble full-contact sport at the 30th anniversary Champagne Classic Women’s Rugby Tournament at Robb Field in Ocean Beach.

So, why rugby?

Aside from the rugged competitiveness of the sport, it’s the social element and camaraderie that keeps many of the players coming back, game after game.

“I grew up playing soccer and basketball in high school and I was friends with my teammates, but in rugby I’ve made friends with the people I’m playing against,” said Kristin Hartos, president of the San Diego Surfers Women’s Rugby Club, which hosted the tournament. “On the field, you’re tackling each other and hitting hard, but afterward you have a meal together and get to know them on a different level. I’ve never had the experience of making friends with (my opponents) in any other sport I’ve played.”

Rugby player and coach Derika Legg agreed. Forced to move frequently for her sales job, she has joined up with the local women’s rugby team at each new location.

“I’ve found that rugby is the best way to make friends and stay in shape,” said the 32-year-old Ocean Beach resident, who coached the Surfers in the Saturday games.

The Champagne Classic featured 12 rugby games in which the San Diego club squared off against women’s teams from Colorado, Washington and Northern California. In the end, it was the Sports Club for Girls, made up of women from San Diego, Santa Barbara and the Bay Area, that took the grand prize — bottles of Champagne.

A favorite national sport in Britain, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, rugby is steadily gaining in popularity in the U.S. Part of rugby’s attraction for women is that almost any woman of any size can play.

“There are few sports where there is a position for every single body type. That’s why women feel so empowered when they play rugby,” Legg said. “If you’re short and stocky or if you’re tall and thin, there’s a position. And, if you’re really fat, there’s even a position that plays well to that.”

Rugby players wear no helmets or shoulder pads as in American football. Some wear a mouth guard, and a few wear a lightly-padded scrum cap which looks similar to a wrestler’s cap and helps protect the head.

“Those girls are awesome,” said Mark Cato of Ocean Beach, who stopped to watch the action while walking his dog. “I don’t know anything about rugby, but I know those women are really strong. I’m impressed.”

Aside from the physicality of the sport, one of the most difficult things about rugby is learning the game.

“It’s not like baseball or football where we grew up watching it on TV. We don’t have that kind of familiarity with rugby here, so it has that extra challenge of having to learn the rules from scratch,” Hartos said.

The game is similar to American football, except the passes are lateral and play doesn’t stop when the ball carrier is tackled. Instead of the common terminology of touchdowns and field goals, rugby fans talk about tries, scrums, rucks and mauls.

Previously known as both OMBUSH and the Rio Grande Surfers, the San Diego Surfers Women’s Rugby Club has been running the rugby fields since 1975. In the last few years, the Surfers won two consecutive Southern California Rugby Football Union championships and went on to finish first in the nation two years in a row. The club’s players range in age from 19 to 42.

Playing rugby well requires all modes of training exercise. For many players that means cardio plus some weight lifting.

“Your body is your only padding and it’s what’s protecting you, so you need to have some muscle on you,” said Surfers player Marea Blue.

And, lots of yoga helps, too.

“Yoga is a nice balance to rugby. Rugby is not kind to the body so the more you can stretch and work through the knots, the better off you’ll be,” Legg said.

“People always say that (rugby players) are so mellow during the week,” she continued, with a laugh. “But, that’s only because we get all of our aggression out on the field.”